Adjustable firing chamber for solid-injection engines



R. A. GAERINE-R ADJUSTABLE FIRING CHAMBER FOR SOLID INJECTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEZ. I920.

I3 Y 3O 22 I I22 55 9 2L 5 W.

INVENTOR. I

5.4. Cider UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH A. GAERTNER, OF SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA.

AIiJUSTABLEFIRING CHAMBER FOR SOLID-INJECTION ENGINES.

.Application filed June 2, 192p. Serial No. 385,956.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, RALPH A. GAERTNER, a citizen of thefUnited States, residing at San Pedro, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Firlng Chambers for Solid-Injection Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to prime motors of the Diesel type.

It is an object of the invention to provide an engine of this type in which the yolume of the firing chamber may be readily adjusted.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the piston cylinder of an engine showing in detail the construction of the firing chamber.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The engine of the present invention is of the type in which a low gravity fuel 01]. is supplied in intermittent charges through the feed pipe 2, entering a block 3 having a valve seat 4 surrounding the passage way 5 which is closed by the outward movement of a valve member 6 in the form of a ball supported" on the expansile spring 7, the lower end of which bears, for instance, on the upper end of a nozzle 8 that is removably mounted in a bushing 9, longitudinally and centrally bored at 10 to receive the nozzle 8 which projects downwardly into a chamber 11 formed in a removable block 12 fitted into a bore 13 in the head 14 of the engine casing or cylinder 15. Within this cylinder is operative the usual piston 18, which, on the downward stroke may operate to open an air inlet valve 19 and on the return stroke compresses the air under the head of the cylinder.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, means are provided for the retention of the successive charges of fuel introduced into the chamber 11 from the nozzle 8 so that gases therefrom will be readily ignited when the pressure in the cylinder reaches a predetermined degree combined with the temperature of the block 12, and this ignition of a charge in the chamber 11 will result in the expulsion of the non-ignited vapors from the chamber 11 in an atomized condition into the power chamber in which the piston operates This retention of fuel is secured by prov dlng at the bottom of the chamber 11 a basin 21 in the form of a shallow recess formed below the contracted passage way 22 at the lower end of the chamber 11 and whlch passage way discharges into the en larged pocket 23, Fig. 2, the bottom of which forms a basin 21, the front portion of the basin being formed by a lip or wall 24 shown as provided with apertures 25, radially disposed and having their outer ends flared or enlarged as at 26 to facilitate the issue and expansion of the liquids, vapors, and gases, as they are forced out of the pocket 23 by the pre-ignition of the vapors of the oil in the basin 21. V

The upper body portion of the block 12 is made of predetermlned and calculated thickness so as to retain a suitable degree of heat to co-operate with the heat of compression of the air charged in the expulsion or piston chamber when a portion of this compressed fluid or air in the chamber 11 reaches an igniting point. This initial ignition causes the expansion of the vapors and gases and their discharge from the chamber 11 carrying with them the liquid from the basin 21, the whole passing rapidly and in a thoroughly carbureted condition through the apertures 25 into the piston chamber where the maximum expansion effect of the igniting vapors operate in the usual manner impulsively on the piston.

It will be understood that a usual water jacket 30 is provided in block 12 so as to surround the chamber 11 in usual manner in order to provide for the obtaining of the proper temperature of block 12 in order to cause the engine to function in the manner set forth while employing a low gravity fuel oil.

The improved engine contemplates the em ployment of means for readily and accurately adjusting the size of chamber 11 so that the required compression may be ob tained for various grades of fuel and at va rious altitudes and under varying climatic conditions.

For this purpose bushing 9 is shown as threaded into block 12 as by the threaded connection 20 so that the end of said bushing may be adjusted longitudinally within chamber 11 for increasing or decreasing the volume of said chamber. Bushing 9 may be thus threaded into block 12 by a suitable wrench engaging a head 21 provided upon said bushing. A lock nut 22 is, preferably arranged to retain the bushing in adjusted positions.

Thus it will be seenthat I have provided a construction whereby the required com pression w-ithinthe firing chamber of an internal combustion en ine of the Diesel type may be positively an easily obtained by ad-' justing ushing 9 so that thenecessary c0mpressi'on may be obtained for causing the most efficient operation of the engine, regardless of lost compression due to leaking valves and the like and also irrespective of the particular grade of fuel employed.

Various changes may bema'de without departin from the spirit of the invention as claime 7 I What is claimed is:

- -1. In a solid injection internal combustion portion, said firing chamber having means for varyingthe volume of the same.

2. Ina solid injection internal combustion engine, a firing chamber communicating with a working cylinder of theengine and having a water jacketsurroundmg the same, and means for varying the volume of said firing chamber. v V 1 p In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification;

RALPH GAERTANER. 

